They whinnied and mooed and snorted contentedly – California Rodeo Salinas bucking horses and bulls munching on fresh hay Wednesday in the stockyards, and perhaps daydreaming of launching a cowboy into the stratosphere.

They all appeared happy and sassy, including one 1,500-pound Brahma bull that insisted on getting its neck scratched by a visiting reporter. And, generally speaking, when a three-quarter-ton mass of muscle makes a request, smart reporters oblige.

But their docile nature in the pens belies fierce athleticism. These animals were bred to buck, some in a rhythmic rocking horse style, and others in a wild frenzy of twisting, diving and kicking with a single mindedness if burying their riders into the turf.

The art and science of breeding rodeo livestock is on full display at the Salinas Rodeo. Collectively, they are some of the most sought-after animals on the circuit. Their traits come from a genetic lineage that is every bit as sophisticated as thoroughbred horse breeding. Artificial insemination, computer tracking of colts’ performances, and a national computer database all come into play in breeding point-generating livestock. But it’s also simple common sense.

“When you have a stud that bucks, you find a mare that bucks and track what the colts do,” said Ted Groene, livestock superintendent for the California Rodeo. One retired stud just sold for $200,000 at the Reno Rodeo, and it’s not uncommon for a single stud to sire eight to 10 colts.

Rodeos are increasingly in the sights of animal rights groups, which charge that making them perform is an act of animal cruelty. Indeed, lately every rodeo has resulted in the death of livestock – a calf whose neck is broken or a horse who lands awkwardly and snaps a leg.

But Cindy Schonholtz, an official with the Colorado-based Professional Rodeo Cowboys Asssociation, said that great care is given to preventing serious injuries during performances.

“Judges check horses daily and if they see something is off, they will pull the animal out of the draw,” Schonholtz said, adding that there are large-animal veterinarian staffed at each event.

The horses are also being bred differently than they were a couple of decades ago. Many are crossbred with draft horses to increase stamina and strength. Walking through the pens you can easily spot a large percentage of bucking broncs with the tell-tale hair near their hoofs and the sturdy construction of their legs.

Horses also vary in traits depending on the event they compete in. For instance, smaller horses are used in saddle bronc competition and have a natural rhythm to their bucking – more of a rocking horse movement.

Others are bred for the wildness of their bucking. They tend to be trained as bareback broncs.